Beyond the Door

SERAFINA

I was in the bedroom. I don't know for how long....Maybe hours. Maybe minutes. Time had twisted into a fog of silence, nervousness and fear.

I felt like I was unraveling—like any second now, I’d lose my grip. Lose my calm and lose my mind. I started pacing. My fingers clenched and unclenched. My teeth ground together so tightly I thought they might crack.

I couldn’t sit still. I couldn’t